Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 376

376: Making the Rounds

The courtyard of the royal castle, with its tables laden with food and drinks, was set up for a standing party.

Though it was a standing party, there were also round tables and chairs, so you could take your food there and eat. The food ranged from hearty meat dishes to sweet desserts. And the drinks, from alcoholic to non-alcoholic, were a perfect lineup.

I had left the arrangements to Rebecca, and as expected, she had done a flawless job.

There were no assigned tables, and the traitors (to be) were mostly gathered on the outskirts. Some of them were also serving as security for the ceremony, so they were surrounding the area.

I was, after all, a supreme commander of the Demon King’s army and a war hero. And this wedding was also a promotion for the new system.

The war was over, and there was a sense of a new era beginning, and everyone’s hearts were filled with hope—or so I had wished.

Change was painful. And while I thought that the ones who would bear that pain were mostly the parasites, change was still accompanied by pain and anxiety.

Therefore, today’s ceremony had to end ‘without a hitch.’

Because it was a large-scale ceremony, held on the prestige of the nation.

Incidentally, the cost of the private outfits and the food was paid for by me, and the venue and the security were paid for by the state. The ‘security’ was mostly handled by the traitors (to be), but whether they saw this as an ‘opportunity’ or a ‘trap’ was another matter.

If they were to turn back at the last minute, and not make a move, and if it were to end without a hitch… then the reforms could be done at a leisurely pace. Today was, after all, a happy day. And I had no desire to see blood.

…But since a small number of them had defected and had provided us with information, it seemed there was no sign of the plan being canceled. Today would probably not end without bloodshed.

—They had survived the war, and yet, what more could they ask for?

Under the current system, their accumulated assets would not even be touched. It was just that future illicit wealth would not be tolerated.

The expressions of the attendees were, for the most part, bright. Even if it was a little unconventional, it was a wedding. For close friends, it was a celebration, and for those who were not so close, it was a glamorous party with free food.

The fact that the Lord of Disease was marrying her subordinate maid had, at first, been taken as a joke.

But of course, it was not a joke. I had not abandoned a girl’s dream to the point where I would have a wedding as a joke.

But on the faces of the attendees—especially the unstable elements—an expression of ‘what is she doing’ was clearly visible.

In other words, they did not know the Lord of Disease of wartime.

The closer you were to the Lord of Disease, the better you knew me. If you were to ask my subordinates who knew me well, they would probably tear me to shreds. Though most of what had happened during the war, especially concerning the Sixth Army, was classified.

But with the war over, the military had become a little more relaxed, and a ‘ranking of the officers you would want as your superior’ had been created and was circulating among the civilians. It was unofficial, of course, but the Lord of Disease had been chosen as the top of that ranking. I wasn’t displeased, but it was a mystery to me.

Incidentally, Bridget was second, and Lathus was third, and for some reason, it was a ranking where the supreme commanders were strong. Or rather, it was Rebecca’s popularity, who had placed fourth, ahead of Eldritch-san, that was strange.

Incidentally, the unstable elements were also soldiers, but they, including their supporters, were all outside the ranking. Even though it was a ranking of up to a hundred.

…Well, in that sense, they were just that kind of people.

There were no absolutes in this world. But since I had the advantage in power and in strength, I had no intention of losing.

“Hey, Earless!”

A deep voice was heard. Lathus was calling me, raising his glass.

I decided to ignore the fact that there were already several empty wine bottles on the table.

“Lathus! Aithys, too.”

Lathus was in his usual navy coat with the gold epaulets. And next to him was Aithys. Aithys was, for once, in her military uniform. It was the same type as the one Bridget was wearing, but the emblem on her patch was the emblem of the Third Army, three lines that looked like claw marks.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you!” It was strangely nice, to be congratulated so normally.

“F-from me, too. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Aithys. Your uniform suits you. You look like you’re matching with Lathus.” I thanked Aithys, who was blushing.

“Huh?! No, well… um, yes.” Aithys glanced at Lathus, who was beside her.

Even though I had asked her to be my guard, the fact that Lathus had brought her to a wedding that was expected to become a battlefield, and that they were still at the same table… I thought there might be something there.

“Here, drink!” Lathus threw a wine glass at me and then pointed the mouth of the wine bottle at me.

“…I have a ceremony to attend.”

“You’re a Greater Wraith. You won’t get drunk.”

“Well, yes. But just one. I want to make the rounds.”

I sat down in an empty chair.

“Alright.” The red liquid was poured into the glass.

Lathus also poured for Aithys, and we lightly clinked our glasses.

Today, just in case, I had raised my physical abilities as much as possible, including my poison resistance—in other words, I was in a state of ‘having abandoned my humanity.’ So, I wouldn’t get drunk. But to be able to celebrate this day, with my comrades, with a toast… that alone was enough to fill my heart.

“…But Lathus, you should go easy on the girls.”

“Huh? I’ve never made a girl cry.” A wild, handsome line.

Or so I had thought, but the words that followed were unexpected.

“If anything, I’m the one who gets cried on.”

“…Huh? But I heard you have a lot of children.”

“What does that have to do with anything? The one I married just liked children.” Lathus said, as if it were nothing. But I was sure it was seventeen.

“…I don’t know what kind of rumors you’ve heard. But the one I held, the one I got pregnant… the one I loved, was only one. She passed away before I became a supreme commander…”

He was single now. I apologized in my heart. I’m sorry for thinking you were a player.

“Everyone dies. I know that. But you know. …To be honest, I didn’t want her to go to the battlefield. But she wanted to. …As a proud warrior of the beastmen…”

He looked down. His wolf ears drooped. Aithys’s ears, too, seemed to have lost their strength.

I, too… didn’t want my precious person to go to a dangerous place. But if I had fallen in love with someone who wouldn’t have it any other way—? If I were to deny that, then surely.

“…Sorry. I made it gloomy.” Lathus’s ears perked up. He twisted his wolfish mouth into a smile, a bitter but genuine smile.

“No.” I poured wine into his empty glass. And I also poured for myself and Aithys.

“I’ll have another.”

“Alright.”

“M-me, too.”

The three of us lightly clinked our glasses.